Even with the advent of several new technologies in the vehicle tracking and theft prevention arena, vehicle theft is still on the rise. Vehicle tracking does not stop the theft from occurring nor does it serve as a major deterrent. The overwhelming majorities of conventional anti-theft devices are easily removable or bypassed and thus offer little or no deterrence to a thief.
Tracking systems are all “hard wired” to the vehicle in which they are installed thus limiting the places in which they can be hidden and making them vulnerable to being discovered, deactivated and or removed. Also, because they rely on radio frequencies and operate using 2-way communication they can easily be detected and “jammed”, or rendered inoperable with well-known devices such as frequency jammers.
For their part, more traditional systems such as audible alarms or ignition kill systems are very easily by-passed. These systems are also “hard wired” to the vehicle's power source and can be by-passed when a thief disables the vehicle's main power source and uses an alternate one. The wires leading to a siren on an audible alarm system can easily be located and cut prior to setting off the alarm when attempting to steal the vehicle. Also the public has grown more and more immune to the sound of a vehicle alarm because of the so-called “false alarm syndrome” thus giving thieves even more reaction time.
Conventional systems as described above have had little or no positive effect on theft caused by customer or owner fraud. Statistics show that approximately 15% to 20% of vehicle thefts are related to fraud. The customer or owner benefits from having plenty of time to clear the vehicle of any security systems before he or she attempts to report the vehicle as being stolen or missing.
Furthermore, as electrical systems found in vehicles become increasingly complex and sensitive, consumers and vehicle manufactures are becoming increasingly weary of these “hard wired” systems due to the fact that their interaction with the vehicle circuits can cause several mal functions. In some cases the installation of “hard wired” systems can even void certain vehicle manufacturer warranties. As for traditional transponder systems they operate at very limited ranges and can only be used in a very specific area such as a room or doorway.